Mythic items have been one of the most divisive additions to League of Legends in recent years, but it appears their time is now up. The Mythic system will be sunset in January, Riot Games announced today.
Some players have complained about how limiting Mythic items could be to a champion’s build path, while others were happy about how straightforward builds were for different champions. Whether you’re for or against them, one thing is certain: Riot is not happy with how Mythic items have landed in today’s meta and with the player base.
At the start of August 2023, League lead designer Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison admitted that developers were not satisfied with the Mythic system. He said that, originally, the new items were meant to give players the power of choice when it came to different builds for different champions, whether they wanted to play aggressive, passive, or more utility-based for their team.
In reality, the Mythic system forced many players to build one standard item based on their role since there was usually one meta item pick that was stronger than the other options in the shop. Rarely did players experiment with the system, and instead, players were unhappy with the lack of choices for their build paths.
Related: LoL players agree Mythic items are a failure—and Riot may actually be listening
Developers realized that trying to serve the needs of multiple champions with a few Mythic items was going to always be a challenge, especially when balancing items for over 160 champions. They also have to take into consideration the combinations and interactions that these Mythics have with other items and abilities, making it incredibly hard to keep track of.
Although the Mythic item tier will be removed next year, some of the more popular items, like Trinity Force and Infinity Edge, will remain in the store. These items will also be able to be bought together for the first time since the system was introduced, but there will be plenty of work done to balance their strengths so they aren’t too broken when combined.
